1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operation device, an information processing apparatus comprising an operation device, and an operation receiving method for an information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a touch panel detects the position of, for example, a finger in a detection plane of the touch panel as, for example, a press operation. An operation device having the touch panel determines, for example, a slide operation on the basis of the change of the position detected by the touch panel with time, and outputs the result of this determination. The operation device that uses such a touch panel is provided in a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or in a portable device such as a digital camera. For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2006-252141 discloses an information input system to display characters or graphics in which lines are changed in thickness in response to a handwriting input when a user performs the handwriting input on a resistive film type touch panel.
That is, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2006-252141 discloses a technique to convert an input trace on the touch panel into a calligraphic type and display the calligraphic type. According to this technique, the moving velocity of a position pressed on the touch panel by the user is calculated on the basis of the pressed position on the touch panel detected every predetermined time. The size of a description pattern is changed in response to this moving velocity so that the input trace is converted into the calligraphic type.
There is possibility that the operation by the touch panel may be more important in the future. For example, it is considered that an operation device capable of detecting more kinds of operations by use of the touch panel may be required. For example, more kinds of operations can be detected when the height of a finger from the detection plane of the touch panel can be detected than when the position of the finger in the detection plane can only be detected. If operational information including the change of the height from the detection plane of the touch panel with time can be detected, much more kinds of operations can be detected. If such an operation device capable of acquiring a large number of operations is provided, it is possible to provide a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a digital camera that adapts to various operations.
The technique according to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2006-252141 described above requires, for example, a finger of the user to be correctly in contact with the touch panel. If an operation device which detects an instantaneous action such as a light touch by the user is used, a rapid touch operation can be performed.